CAPTAIN GRACKLEAND THE MYSTERIOUS HANDby Timit Garz

I ask your patience as I bring you a story that is non-tourist related. But it is a concern for all Evshlohogites.

My Lost Story. My Lost Life.

(Note from blogger, Timit Garz)I am Timit Garz and I believe I am a writer who has lost his identity. Actually, I have lost my life. Today I am employed by the Evshlohogi Islands Government within the Ministry of Visitors. But I have illusive memories and glimpses of a former life that returns to me in dreams. I think of people that I knew. And I think I remember being a writer for a newspaper: The Mujand Investigator. But is it only a dream? I am informed that I never have been a reporter with The Mujand Investigator and although I have no proof I sometimes remember working for the newspaper. So I go on believing all these memories are dreams. But why do I dream these things?

And then something extraordinary happened: I found proof. As if by some strange occultism a notebook appeared in my home. Initially, I believed it to be one of mine but upon closer inspection I quickly realized that it could not be. Although the first page clearly had my name written upon it, the following pages were filled with details that I did not or could not have written. But these words were in my handwriting. Paging through this mysteriously appearing notebook I came upon a page marked with a dog ear. On this page were notes and directions regarding a story I was to write for the Mujand Investigator. These notes clearly indicated this fact and identified contacts for these people who work or worked, for the Mujand Investigator. When I contacted these people I learned that they did indeed work at the newspaper. But when I attempted to speak with these people, they insisted they didn't not know me and refused any further conversations, which left me quite embarrassed.

So I am left with this hole in my life. All I can do is publish this story in hopes that someone will remember me and tell me what this all means. As for the contents and mysteries of this story, I dare not continue on to solve the puzzle. Yes, the story proved worthy. Look on your Evshlohogi banknotes and you may see the mystery.

As for me, I have started to search for my past. So here is the discovered news story. A story of me, Danzi and Captain Grackle. A story I don't remember writing. A story of things I don't remember doing. And a story of two people I do not remember at all. I hope they remember me.

Mara Beach, Evshlohogi Islands – My name is Timit Garz. I am a journalist for the Mujand Investigator. While vacationing last month on Mara Beach in the Evshlohogi Islands, taking a long overdue rest and relaxation, I received a mysterious phone call. And as my girlfriend Danzi will testify, the R&R we planned and had waited for since the start of the year was suddenly placed on the back-burner. I am still in the Shoghouse over this intrusion into our vacation.

This whole thing started when I received the mysterious call as we baked in the Mujand sun. The call came from a man telling me that he had newsworthy information that I could not ignore nor pass off to a colleague. This man referred to himself as, Captain Grackle, and said some mighty intriguing things.

“Are this Mr. Garz?” asked the man on my phone.

“I are,” said I. “And who you are?” I asked, playing along.

“You can call me, Captain Grackle,” said the mysterious caller.

I of course immediately regretted answering the call thinking it a prank. “Captain Grackle indeed,” I chuckled. “Is this Gawry?” I asked, thinking my long time friend Gawry Tamari (yes, that’s his name) was the mastermind behind this childish joke. “You couldn’t come up with a better name for a prank?”

“This is not a prank, Mr. Garz. And what I have to say, you will want to print in your little newspaper. But I cannot tell you now. Not at this moment. This must be told in person. Tonight.”

Okay, this Captain Grackle was making me angry. First, he interrupts my vacation to tell me something that he cannot tell me and then he insults The Mujand Investigator.

“You called to not tell me something?” I gave him both barrels of sarcasm, loaded with shrapnel of doubt.

“I realize this is sounding ridiculous but I assure you, this story needs to be published. I am serious when I tell you this...” He paused for what I thought was dramatic theater.

“Tell me what?” I asked. But he was gone.

“Hello,” I said to no response. The so-called Captain Grackle was gone and so too was his prank. Or so I believed.

With Danzi in tow and a nagging distraction lingering, we headed in for the day. At about dinnertime, I had all but expunged the thought of Captain Grackle and we set out for a fabulous seafood dinner c/o the Mara Beach Bistro. (Try the prawns—you’ll love them.)

With wine and dinner ordered we talked of our plans for the following day. Seconds into the conversation the Maître d' arrived at our table to inform me that there was a gentleman at the entrance who insisted was a friend of mine and needed to deliver an urgent missive, immediately.

Fearing the worst I jumped up and followed the Maître d’ outside to where there was nobody waiting for me. I turned to find that the Maître d’ had changed into someone else.

“And you are?” I asked the stranger.

“I don’t have much time,” he started. “I am Captain Grackle and I have brought you something to take down what I am about to tell you.”

He pulled a writing pad and pen from his coat and held them out for me. But I hesitated.

“Who are you?” I asked again. I was beginning to feel a strange sensation. Too odd to describe but I did not feel myself nor did I feel grounded. I was beginning to believe I was deceived.

“Listen!” He snapped at me. “There is no time. Write this down and be sure to get it published.”

He gestured to the pad for me to take dictation. I did so to appease this stranger who proved himself stranger with each passing moment. I readied the pen.

“The Queen of Evshlohogi and the Princesses are in danger of being complicit in a historic crime. They must be warned to watch for the Gold Dragonflies.”

“The what?” I was not certain what he was saying. “How do you… what is that?”

He grabbed the pad and pen from me and wrote out the name as I have reported it in this story. He then returned the pad and pen to me and continued. “I tried to warn the Queen but the GD were on to me. This is the only way for me to stop what may have already happened.” Captain Grackle stopped and sighed. He looked defeated. “Trust me, I know this all sounds insane. And I am not giving you a reason to believe me behaving as I am. But you must.”

“And how will the Queen and Princesses be complicit in this crime you speak of?” I tried to sound like a believer. I wanted to get as much as I could. Although it did sound insane and dubious, my gut was telling me he was legitimate.

He took a deep breath. “Her Royal Highness, Esmi Arccrm and her three daughters, Princesses Zia, Iza and Azi will allow a man into their palace. He is a very intelligent, amiable and charming man. But he is cunning as well. He will convince them that there are forces prepared to over-throw the Monarchy. He will be extremely convincing and he will sweet-talk them out of their jewels and heirlooms for the purposes of financing the fight against the plot to overthrow the Arccrm Monarchy.”

“But this plot is not true,” I surmised.

“No. He will take their treasure to advance his cause.” Captain Grackle could not hide his anger. He seemed genuine.

“But,” I started only to be cut off.

“We are out of time. Danzi is coming to retrieve you.”

“How do you know?”

“I know. That is all you need to know.”

“But.”

He interrupted me. “Do you have any Dubre?” He asked while at the same time reaching for his wallet. I did the same and pulled out all the Evshlohogi currency I had on me. “Look at your currency. Look closely,” he said. I did and I wasn’t certain what I was looking for. “Look at the Queen. The Princesses,” he said.

I still saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was the same currency I had been using since my arrival on the Evshlohogi Islands. “I see nothing,” I reported to Mr. Grackle.

He then put his large finger on my 10 dubre. He flicked on a light onto the note and there it was. I could now see something I had not noticed before. Something strange and spooky. I looked at Captain Grackle and he nodded.

“That’s him,” he said.

It was clearly visible. There was a ghostly hand reaching for Princess Zia. And it scared me. I looked at the other banknotes and there were no hands. The 25 banknote did not have anything. But Mr. Grackle showed me his 25 dubre note and there it was, the ghostly hand again reaching for Princess Iza’s bracelet. And then the 50 note. Nothing. I looked at my 50 banknote and there it was, the ghostly hand reaching for Princess Azi’s pearls.

How could this be? It made no sense. “These are forgeries,” I said trying to find some explanation. “What is going on here?” I asked him with all the pleading I could muster. Then I saw Danzi coming to look for me.

"I must go," said Captain Grackle.

“Wait,” I said.

He stopped but was ready to go. “What is it?” he asked.

“How is it that these ghostly hands are in some of the dubre banknotes?” I was really confused. “Only some.”

"I placed them there," said Mr. Grackle.

"What? Why? I don't understand." I was completely flummoxed by the whole thing.

"As a warning," he said.

"I don't get it." I was far away from my comfort area.

“You are an investigative journalist. Find out,” he said and started to walk away.

He turned to me one last time.

“It is meant as a warning to the monarchy,” he said. “Be sure to investigate this story. And it won’t be easy.” He paused for some time. “And watch your back,” he said.

That last thing he said gave me chills but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. “Okay. I will do what I can to give them this warning but I must do it in my own way.”

“What do you mean?” Grackle asked.

“I will report what you are conveying to me but I will also tell of the strange manner in which I received this story.”

He shrugged.

“I must tell everything as it has occurred tonight.” That was my condition.

“Fine. Anyway you want.” He looked off behind me.

I turned to see Danzi coming towards us. I turned back to Captain Grackle and he was gone.

Needless to say, the dinner and the vacation was a disaster. Danzi left the following day and swore to never speak with me again. I pleaded and begged her, to no avail.

I stayed behind on the Evshlohogi Islands to investigate and learn what I could. To date, I have found no information on the so-called Gold Dragonflies. The Queen has refused to see me or discuss anything about the theft of their treasure. They deny there was a theft. The one thing they cannot deny or cover up, are the banknotes. The Evshlohogi Islands government has announced a recall of the banknotes in hopes of retrieving the issues with the ghostly hands but since the hands have been discovered, the citizens are unwilling to turn them in and are keeping them instead.

I spoke with the Central Bank of Evshlohogi and they are just as baffled by the appearance of the hands. How many ghost hand banknotes are out in the public is unknown. No one can say how the notes came into existence to begin with. It is a complete mystery. A very spooky one.

As for Captain Grackle, he has yet to make another appearance and my guess is he will be seen as a device, made up by me, to tell this fantastic story. But I say no, he was real. And my hopes are that he returns to finish telling his story.

As for the ghost hands, I will continue to pursue this story. As for Danzi, she has not forgiven me. I will continue to pursue her as well.

Search your Evshlohogi currency. Do your banknotes have a hand?

That is the story as it is written on this notebook and yes, the hand writing on the name, Gold Dragonflies is different. It is not in my hand. It makes me dizzy when I think too much on these things. I sometimes believe I will disappear and never return to Blissdane Naive. Maybe there's more to tell of this story. For now, this is what I have. And all I can say is, Danzi, whoever you are, do you remember me? And the mysterious Captain Grackle--I've done what you asked.